Old World Leishmaniasis - A Review

Abstract

The leishmaniasis is a globally widespread parasitic diseases of multifaceted clinical manifestations (cutaneous,  mucocutneous, diffuse cutaneous and visceral). They are caused by several species belonging to the genus Leishmania - a kinetoplastic flagellate transmitted exclusively by the bite of the female of the phlebotomine sandfly. The sandfly becomes infected when taking blood from reservoir hosts, which includes man or domestic and wild animals. Most leishmaniasis is  zoonotic and humans are infected only accidentally when exposed to the natural transmission cycle. However in the anthroponotic forms man is the reservoir host. A Leishmania species in a given area is usually maintained by single reservoir host even if other mammals may sometimes be infected. Identification of the reservoir is a prerequisite for the selection and application of selective control methods. Leishmaniasis poses a public health threat to the people of any nation under its debilitating effects, thus the need for prompt and adequate attention. As at the time of this write up no effective vaccine has been developed to date, but results of vaccine trials are encouraging. For now the more conventional methods of control such as vector reduction, elimination of infected reservoirs, personal protection, surveillance, and treatment is the only option.

Keywords: Leishmania, Old World, Visceral, Cutaneous, Sandflies, Review